1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bats, and in particular, to a baseball and softball bats having a wood barrel portion and a metal handle portion with a new and improved means for connecting the wood barrel portion to the metal handle portion.
2. Related Art
There are two dominate types of bats used in both softball and baseballxe2x80x94aluminum and wood. Although most school leagues allow players to use either type of bat, the Little League organization and the Major League only allow players to use wooden bats and this is for safety reasons. It is well known that players can hit a ball harder and longer with the lighter aluminum bats. Therefore, these two organizations recognize the principal safety factor associated with using wooden bats; that is, slower ball speed coming off of the bat.
However, wood bats also have a safety issue in that the handle portion of a wood bat tends to break above the players grip. This is an important concern because upon a wood bat breaking, the top barrel, or hitting, portion often becomes a projectile which may hit and injure another player or an innocent bystander. For example, testing has shown that a conventional Little League wood bat breaks, i.e., snaps at the handle, when the bat""s swinging speed reaches about 72-75 mph. This breakage is due to the fact that the wood does not xe2x80x9cgivexe2x80x9d to the torque on the bat during a high powered swing. In contrast, conventional aluminum bats do not break at the handle. The principal safety issue regarding aluminum bats is the ball speed coming off of the bat.
Therefore, there is a need for a bat that combines the wooden barrel portion of a conventional wood bat with the metal handle portion of a conventional aluminum bat in order to take advantage of both types of bats: the safety of a wood barrel with the strength of a metal handle. There is a further need for a metal/wood bat that does not break during normal usage. There is still a further need for a metal/wood bat that ensures that the two portions of the bat do not separate during use or upon the infrequent breaking of the bat.
It also is well appreciated that baseball players have a difficult time making the transition from using an aluminum bat to a wood bat. The aluminum bats have a larger xe2x80x9csweetxe2x80x9d spot on the barrel, thereby making it easier for a player to get a good hit. In contrast, wood bats have a smaller xe2x80x9csweetxe2x80x9d spot on the barrel, thereby requiring a player to have better eye-hand coordination to get a good hit. Therefore, despite a player""s success and good batting statistics using aluminum bats, the player may not have the same level of success upon changing over to wood bats.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,214 to Cook, a bat is disclosed having a handle part formed of metal and a hitting part formed of one, two or more pieces of wood connected by finger joints. Specifically, the bat comprises a hitting member that may be a single piece of wood. The hitting member is defined as having a barrel end and a handle end wherein the handle end terminates about 1-2 inches from the knob. Therefore, in essence, the wood portion of the Cook bat is about as long as a conventional wood bat. The bat is constructed by using an adhesive to secure the metal portion over the handle end of the wood portion (hitting member). In fact, the metal handle of Cook does not replace the wood handle of a conventional wood bat, but rather, the Cook handle merely reinforces the wood handle of the wood hitting member.
Although the Cook bat appears to disclose a metal/wood bat, there are many disadvantages with the Cook bat that make it impractical to use. First, the metal handle part simply covers, or reinforces, the handle end of the wood hitting member. No matter how close the wood handle is fit within the metal handle, a vibration will occur when a player hits a ball, thereby interfering with the player""s grip on the bat. Secondly, the vibration upon hitting a ball will have a damaging effect on the adhesive connection between the wood handle part and the metal handle part. The metal and wood parts of the bat are only secured together by an adhesive and once the adhesive breaks down, the two parts will separate. Therefore, the vibration resulting from hitting a ball will break down that adhesive connection. Then, upon hitting one more ball, the two pieces will separate resulting in the wooden hitting member becoming a projectile, as with a conventional wood bat, and possibly hurting someone.
Therefore, there is a need for a metal/wood bat wherein only the barrel portion of the bat is made of wood and the handle portion of the bat is only made of metal such that all vibrational shock resulting from hitting a ball is eliminated. There is a further need for a metal/wood bat wherein the wood barrel portion cannot separate from the metal handle portion, thereby eliminating all possibility of the wood barrel portion becoming a dangerous projectile. There is still a further need for a metal/wood bat that does not require the use of an adhesive.
Currently, there is a metal/wood bat commercially available that is comprised of a wood hitting portion and a metal handle portion wherein the wood hitting portion does not extend through the substantial length of the metal handle. This metal/wood bat is disclosed in U.S. Application No. 60/112,160 (filed Dec. 14, 1998), Ser. No. 09/460,736 (filed Dec. 14, 1999), and PCT Application No. PCT/US99/29624 (filed Dec. 14, 1999) (collectively, xe2x80x9cthe ""736 batxe2x80x9d). The preferred connection assembly for this ""736 bat is a metal rod that is anchored at an end of the wood barrel portion, extends the entire length of the metal handle portion, and terminates at and through the knob, thereby securing the wood barrel portion to the knob end of the handle.
There are several disadvantages to the connection assembly of the ""736 bat. The manufacturing and assembly of the ""736 bat is complex and time consuming. Second, the rod adds extra weight and cost to the bat. Therefore, there is a need for a metal/wood bat that has a simpler connection assembly for securing a wood barrel portion to a metal handle portion, resulting in a less expense bat that requires less time to assemblexe2x80x94yet retains a secure connection of the wood hitting portion to the metal handle portion.
The connection assembly of the present invention solves the problems associated with conventional methods for manufacturing a metal/wood bat, and in particular, for solving the problems with the methods for joining a metal handle portion with a wood barrel portion. In the preferred embodiment, the connection assembly optionally comprises three components: an exterior sleeve, an interior sleeve, and/or a pin assembly.
The interior sleeve is positioned over a fitting portion of the wood barrel portion prior to the fitting portion being inserted and pressure fit within a barrel receiving end of the metal handle portion. A hole is drilled through the barrel receiving end and the fitting portion of the wood barrel portion, wherein a pin assembly locks the metal handle portion with the wood barrel portion. The pin assembly is either a locking or a roll pin inserted through and secured in the hole. Once the two portions of the bat are joined, an exterior sleeve is used to smooth the seam between the metal handle portion and the wood barrel portion.
There are several advantages with using the pin assembly of this new connection assembly over the prior art. First, the present invention reduces the total weight of a bat by about two to four ounces, e.g., three ounces. This weight reduction is due to the fact that the metal rod of the prior ""736 bat is eliminated. Second, all twisting or turning of the wood barrel portion within the metal handle portion is eliminated. Third, the use of a locking or roll pin secured within a hole to lock the wood barrel portion to the metal handle portion also eliminates the need for a conventional adhesive and provides a very inexpensive, quick and efficient way to manufacture the bat. Fourth, the new preferred thickness of the metal handle portion is about xe2x85x9th of an inch, resulting in a much stronger handle.
The use of an interior and exterior sleeve of the present invention also provides several advantages. First, the interior sleeve is made from a tacky gum rubber to provide additional friction. The interior sleeve eliminates the need for a conventional adhesive to secure the fitting portion of the wood barrel portion within the metal handle portion. The natural inherent features of the interior sleeve assures that the wood barrel portion does not separate from the metal handle portion. Second, the exterior sleeve provides a more stable and secure connection such that when a player hits a ball at or around the seam between the metal handle portion and the wood barrel portion, the batter does not experience much, if any, vibration in the metal handle portion, the ball coming off the bat most likely flies true, and the wood barrel portion will not crack, splinter or break.